This invention relates to an exercising apparatus and method and more especially to one in which the user is reclining with head below heart level and, at the same time, when the lower body portion is being exercised by pedaling activity, the upper body portion is being exercised isometrically, which, exercise at the same time tends to draw or pull the user's body up the inclined platform against the force of gravity and against reaction forces due to pedaling.
Pedal type exercises associated with reclining platforms are not new, being disclosed in such U.S. patents as Rogers Pat. No. 4,319,747, Werner design Pat. No. 210,083, Swarts Pat. No. 3,189,344, Levin et al Pat. No. 3,056,603, Shoor Pat. No. 2,784,591, Paul Pat. No. 2,209,034, Howard Pat. No. 4,300,761 and Dranselka Pat. No. 4,262,902. However, none of these prior devices provided exercise which exercise both upper and lower extremities in a simple, fold-away type, low cost, easily storable exercise machine.
According to the present invention, an inclined platform is provided in which the support legs for inclining the platform to the horizontal is secured to an adjustable standard or pedestal and rotatably mounted on the underside of the platform so that when the user places his or her weight on the platform, that weight tends to lock or stabilize the platform in the inclined position. Since gravity effects in the inclined position causes the user to tend to slide down the incline and acts conjointly with the pedaling activity which likewise tends to urge the user's body down the incline and away from the crank and pedal assembly, a flexible non-extensible strap is connected to one end of the standard approximate the hub of the crank and pedal assembly and a handle is coupled to the other end of the non-extensible strap to permit and enable the user to exert a force on the standard in a direction urged by the weight to urge the user's body against the force of gravity and the pedaling activity and up the inclined surface thereby further stabilizing the assembly and at the same time, isometrically exercising the user's upper and lower extremities while performing the pedaling exercises with the lower extremities. It will be appreciated that other exercises may be performed using the construction such as hand pedaling, sit-ups and the like.